Ofcourse Early is better..but what if i HAVE to be late..

[zed350]

to take MCAT (Say Around July, as I would completely overwhelmed in Spring semester and I dont think i would be able to take it any earlier than that). I know its against the advice that most of the earlier applicants give, but how much does it really affect you.. I mean I have also heard that Schools do not start reviewing your files until September ( Which makes more sense from logistics point of view as with 22 MCATS it would be really hard for adcom's/secretaries to keep up with, while reviewing applicants). I might just be completely wrong so i need few words of Advice from those who have already applied/or are applying to med schools...for/against taking MCAT that late in the game.

Does it help have your rest of the AMCAS taken care-of before I take MCAT in July?

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[Law2Doc]

to take MCAT (Say Around July, as I would completely overwhelmed in Spring semester and I dont think i would be able to take it any earlier than that). I know its against the advice that most of the earlier applicants give, but how much does it really affect you.. I mean I have also heard that Schools do not start reviewing your files until September ( Which makes more sense from logistics point of view as with 22 MCATS it would be really hard for adcom's/secretaries to keep up with, while reviewing applicants). I might just be completely wrong so i need few words of Advice from those who have already applied/or are applying to med schools...for/against taking MCAT that late in the game.

Does it help have your rest of the AMCAS taken care-of before I take MCAT in July?

If you have to do it in july do it in july. It's not as bad as August, which a lot of people used to have to do before there were more MCAT offerings. But you are incorrect that schools wont be reviewing files until September -- there are people who already are hearing about interviews by then. And yes you will want to try to have everything done before the MCAT comes out because some places will send out secondaries or secure your spot in the queue based on the time your file is complete.

 

[2008orbust]

ditto. Get EVERY portion of the AMCAS done that you can, then check EVERYDAY to see if your MCAT scores are added and press submit the first minute possible!

Somebody on the allo board said their AMCAS is done save for the MCAT score and they just received a few secondaries! So, schools somehow are seeing that you will be sending an app--I didn't know that was possible, but it seems to be true.

 

[njbmd]

to take MCAT (Say Around July, as I would completely overwhelmed in Spring semester and I dont think i would be able to take it any earlier than that). I know its against the advice that most of the earlier applicants give, but how much does it really affect you.. I mean I have also heard that Schools do not start reviewing your files until September ( Which makes more sense from logistics point of view as with 22 MCATS it would be really hard for adcom's/secretaries to keep up with, while reviewing applicants). I might just be completely wrong so i need few words of Advice from those who have already applied/or are applying to med schools...for/against taking MCAT that late in the game.

Does it help have your rest of the AMCAS taken care-of before I take MCAT in July?

If you intend to apply for medical school this year, then you need to have your AMCAS done and submitted regardless of when you take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). If you wait until you have taken the test and your scores reported, your application will be very late and any advantage that you might have received by submitting your application early will be lost.

Most medical schools review applications as they come in and will review yours if it is received. Your application will likely (if the rest is competitive) be placed in a pile of "Hold until MCAT score comes in". When your scores are received, you would receive an invitation for interview at that point.

If you wait until your scores are in your hands before you submit, it might take 4-6 weeks for your application to be verified before it is even sent to medical schools. By that time, many if not most interview slots would be taken and in some cases, the class filled. If you anticipate waiting and filing late, you would likely be better served to wait a year and then apply.

The medical school application process is very expensive and very lengthy. Most of that time is taken up with the verification process. If you want to optimize your chances of acceptance, submit your AMCAS as soon as you have completed it; take your MCAT (assuming you are well-prepared) and both will reach your prospective schools in the most timely fashion possible.